Using different ini files with widefs

[paulcroft]

Hi Pete

I fly online with both VATSIM and IVAO. I have a 2 pc setup and use PTT through a CH Pro yoke. As you are aware, at the moment SB3 and Teamspeak require different keysend parameters and the way I deal with this is to have two different wideclient.ini files and swap them around as necessary. Is there a switch I can use when starting widefs with which I can specify a specific ini file to be used? I envisage using two desktop shortcuts for starting widefs, labelled appropriately, so that I can start widefs using the shortcuts without the need to manually swap ini files around first.

Or am I missing something blindingly obvious ...

Best regards

[Pete Dowson]

I have a 2 pc setup and use PTT through a CH Pro yoke. As you are aware, at the moment SB3 and Teamspeak require different keysend parameters and the way I deal with this is to have two different wideclient.ini files and swap them around as necessary. Is there a switch I can use when starting widefs with which I can specify a specific ini file to be used?

Why not just make your PTT button send both KeySends -- the wrong ones shouldn't harm the other program, surely? You'd need to edit your FSUIPC INI file's [buttons] section for this. Any button can have any number of actions, all of which are carried out. It's just that this cannot be done in the FSUIPC option dialogue. Check the Advanced User's guide for more details.

Regards,

Pete

[paulcroft]

Hi Pete

Am I having a senior moment? I've read the Advanced User Guide and tried this but with no success. If you can spot what I've done wrong I'd appreciate it. Currently the [user] section of wideclient.ini reads:

================

Actionkeys=Yes

; The below values are for VatSim:

KeySend1=Rwon

KeySend2=Rwoff

; The below values are for TeamSpeak:

UseSendInput=Yes

KeySend3=123,16

KeySend4=123,24

================

and the [buttons] section of fsuipc.ini reads as follows:

==============

1=R0,0,C1006,1

2=U0,0,C1006,2

3=R0,0,C1006,3

4=U0,0,C1006,4

==============

Using this configuration PTT only works for KeySend1 and 2. It may send Keysends 3/4 at the same time but either widefs isn't translating them or TeamSpeak isn't recognising them. The only way I can get this to half work at the moment is to leave wideclient.ini as it is, delete the values 3=R0,0,C1006,3 and 4=U0,0,C1006,4 from fsuipc.ini and change the button's KeySend values from within FS (via Modules>FSUIPC>Buttons) as and when required.

Your advice, as ever, is greatly appreciated.

[Pete Dowson]

1=R0,0,C1006,1

2=U0,0,C1006,2

3=R0,0,C1006,3

4=U0,0,C1006,4

You certainly don't want "R" (repeating whilst held). That may well mess things up here. Change that to "P".

It should then work -- it should send both KeySend codes. (What version of FSUIPC is it please?)

Just as a test, as well as using Press (P) instead of Repeat ®, try the other order:

1=P0,0,C1006,3

2=U0,0,C1006,4

3=P0,0,C1006,1

4=U0,0,C1006,2

just to see if it works then for TeamSpeak but not for RW/AVC/SB3.

Regards,

Pete

[paulcroft]

Hi Pete

All working OK now. As suggested, it was the P instead of the R which rectified matters. I'd used the R because that is the value which gets set when the button values are set via Modules>FSUIPC>Buttons but, on reading the literature, it all makes sense.

Interestingly, I thought afterwards that it would make sense simply to set one key (e.g. F12) as the PTT key for RW/AVC/SB3 and Teamspeak to obviate this added complexity but, when I did this, I couldn't transmit on RW/AVC/SB3. As soon as I set the wideclient.ini value back to Rwon/Rwoff it worked fine. Ho hum ...

Anyway, all up and running fine now. Thanks very much for your help.

[Pete Dowson]

I'd used the R because that is the value which gets set when the button values are set via Modules>FSUIPC>Buttons but, on reading the literature, it all makes sense.

It used to default to "Repeat", but that was an error. It should be fixed in 3.48, or even before. Are you saying that with the latest version by default you still get repeating action? That's rather worrying!

I thought afterwards that it would make sense simply to set one key (e.g. F12) as the PTT key for RW/AVC/SB3 and Teamspeak to obviate this added complexity but, when I did this, I couldn't transmit on RW/AVC/SB3.

No, I think the method they use to get the keys won't work with the same options as TeamSpeak. In fact the reason for the original work I did (hacking actually) to derive the RWon/off method was because of problems with key inputs.

Regards

Pete

[paulcroft]

Hi Pete

It used to default to "Repeat", but that was an error. It should be fixed in 3.48, or even before. Are you saying that with the latest version by default you still get repeating action? That's rather worrying!

I'm using 6.48 and mine produces a Repeat.

No, I think the method they use to get the keys won't work with the same options as TeamSpeak. In fact the reason for the original work I did (hacking actually) to derive the RWon/off method was because of problems with key inputs.

And glad we are that you did . At least that explains why it doesn't work using the same key for all.

Regards as ever,

[Pete Dowson]

I'm using 6.48 and mine produces a Repeat.

You mean 3.48?

When you go to the FSUIPC buttons page, press the button, and select "Select for Key Press", the check mark should be against the "Key press not to be held" option, not the "Key press to repeat ...".

Right?

In the same page, press a button, and select for FS control. The check mark will/should NOT be against the "control to repeat while held" option. It will only be checked if the button was already programmed with some repeating action.

Please check -- maybe you are re-programming buttons without pressing "Clear" first, so the previous options are retained? That's intended to be "user-friendly" ;-)

I am very concerned here that you are observing totally different things to me, and things which are wrong. If you could please carry out these little checks and tell me what you finf. Thank you.

Regards

Pete

[paulcroft]

You mean 3.48?

Yes, finger slip.

As for the R and P problem, I was checking the "control to repeat while held" option because that is what the instructions say to do in the included document "How to set up Push To Talk.doc" that comes with widefs.zip :? You are right though, if I uncheck this option I get a P, not an R.

Regards as ever

[Pete Dowson]

I was checking the "control to repeat while held" option because that is what the instructions say to do in the included document "How to set up Push To Talk.doc" that comes with widefs.zip

Ouch! So it does! I wonder why the author put that in? It certainly isn't necessary to keep sending the same KeySends at over 6 per second -- the programming on the other end (in WideClient) doesn't need that!

Thanks. I'll remove that line for future updates.

Best Regards,

Pete

[paulcroft]

I wonder why the author put that in?

Logic? Without being told otherwise one train of logic might suggest this is the right thing to do, in the same way that FS requires you to choose whether or not to repeat an action when assigning actions to keys as, e.g., trim up and trim down. Unless the 'repeat' function is requested you can hold the key down for ever but it will still only send the one initial keypress. Besides, it works fine until you need the button press to send more than one command, so the error would not have been apparent to the author under 'normal' test.

I'll remove that line for future updates.

Given my own comments above might it be worth reinforcing that by also adding a comment to NOT check the box? Just a thought.

Regards as ever,